Volume 2, 2015
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
CROSS COUNTRY
JV BOYS FINALLY TESTED – BUT VICTORIOUS IN DANCE BATTLES!
The Boys JV Team faced their first real test of the season and stepped up to the challenge! We definitely found out one thing about South Dakota high schools tonight…this state knows how to XC! Parker Burrack took the reins for the second time this season as he led his teammates with a 2-mile time of 11:24! Burrack finished 25 overall! Chris Okine and (very quiet) Dakota South also took top 30 honors, running 11:26 and 11:28 for 28th and 30th place, respectively. Caleb Miller was 4th scorer for the Stars, taking 34th in 11:36. Aaron Eybers continued to show great improvement from last season, taking the final scoring spot for the Stars in 41st place time of 11:42, just ahead of teammate Drake Beller, who made his season debut in 42nd place (11:43). Beller also made his debut as the Stars XC Dance Leader, helping the Stars steal the show from team camp to team camp. Clement Oyadare definitely improved on last week’s performance, taking 46th in 11:48, followed by Boden Christensen, who had a deathly look of determination the entire race, and finished 48th in 11:49. Ethan Sorenson was next for the Stars, taking his sweet curls around for 56th place time of 11:53. Goose Noble admitted he wanted one more mile, as his strength shows in the longer distance, but still ran a very competitive 12:11 for 79th overall. Deven Pace will get into shape soon, and when he does, watch out! Today he gutted out a hot and sweaty 12:13 for 82nd place. Ethan Emerick followed Pace, taking 87th in 12:17. Zekarias Begossa (whose real grade level is up for debate amongst members of the coaching staff) took 93rd in 12:22. Carson Goddard had a good day!! Not only did he compete hard for the Stars, taking 104th in 12:28, but he was also able to watch his older brother, former East standout Jacob Scott, race for the Mustangs (nationally ranked 8th)!!! That’s a true XC family tradition!! Owen Burrack – yep, the 7th grade wonder himself! – took to the course with the Stars, taking 111th overall in 12:35!!! What a BEAST!!!! Brandon Philpotts (part of the 7 nations of North XC) represented the great countries of England and Trinidad as he placed 123rd in 12:44…much faster than he ever even thought possible as an 8th grader a year ago! Cy Heck didn’t even run XC in middle school – at least that what MS Coaches say – and he is turning into quite the runner as well, taking 125th in 12:44.
Tyler Schoepfer continues on his rookie journey through XC, took to the 2 mile course in 12:47, good for 127th. Tanner Van Etten is definitely no stranger to improvement, running 13:08 for 156th place. Ethan Bush has begun to push his own limits recently, and it’s shown in his racing, as he ran 13:19 for 163rd. Peyton Rea is a work horse who doesn’t shy away from pain. He beasted his way through for 171st place time of 13:29. Daniel Oldenkamp made his season debut for the Stars, covering the 2 mile journey in 13:41, good for 179th place. Ian Knuth continues to break down barriers, knocking off nearly another minute from his race pace, covering 2 miles in 15:23 for 217th place. Kaleb Taylor is another Star who is impressing his teammates, running 16:52 for 238th place! The Boys placed 4th overall in Team Standings with 157 points.
THU LE NGUYEN PICKS UP GOLDEN SPIKE AWARD!
Kylee Davis led the way for the Stars JV Team in her season debut, taking 47th place in 14:23, but it was Thu Le Nguyen who stole the attention and made heads turn. Not only did she have an absolute KILLER second mile, but topped it off with one of the most aggressive 200 meter kicks of the entire day! Le Nguyen’s performance placed her 54th in 14:26, which is nuts considering she was outside of top 80 after 1 mile!! Brenda Phillips continues to be a bright surprise for the Stars, taking the 3rd scoring position in in 15:09, good for 87th place. She was followed through the finish line by Celeste De Anda’s 88th place time of 15:12. McKenzie Coyle is still figuring out this whole cross country business, and when she puts it together, wow, get the popcorn ready! Coyle finished 97th in 15:19. Allie Blake has been an absolutely amazing addition to the Stars family this year, and she showed it again with her race, taking 121st in 15:59 and being all smiles after each experience! Ariana Sandoval is still working on the work schedule of hers, but was still able to gut out a tough 16:02 for 124th place! Emily Nguyen and Jaycelyn Walters pushed each other for 132nd and 134th, respectively, in 16:22 and 16:26. Brittany Nguyen loves XC so much, it shows on her face while she race!! She covered the course in 17:50 for 169th place. Maddie Walding had a great knee drive and dipped under the 10-minute pace for the first time this season, taking 193rd in 19:52, and followed closely behind by Jerica Walters, who showed her softball base stealing speed in an all-out sprint to the finish, for 197th place time of 20:39! The ladies took 12th overall out of 19 teams, and were 8 points from 11th!!
TWO STARS CRACK ALL-TIME TOP 10 LIST!!
Camden Beller is having a special season! How special? Coming off his runner-up finish at the Heelan Invite, Beller led the Stars again tonight with a 15:53 performance over 3 miles, giving him a converted 16:26 5k time!! That puts him #4 on the all-time list! Beller took 13th place overall!! Gavin Bush, made his season debut in a HUGE way for the Stars, even passing Beller at one point in the race, finished 26th overall in 16:04, putting his converted time at 16:38, good for #5 all-time!!! Daniel Folchert was third for the Stars and took it as a learning lesson, as he ran 16:40 for 3 miles, good for 48th place. Surprise of the day came from 4th finisher Jacobus Noble, whose kick would be highlighted on FloTrack’s “Kick of the Week” segment had someone recorded it! Noble ran a monster race, taking 88th overall in 17:23!! Kaleb Maynard struggled with allergies and a possible sinus infection, but still gutted out a gritty 91st place time of 17:25. Jackson Baker rounded out the day for the Stars, taking 100th in a huge race for the Stars, running a Trap Queen 17:38 – “I’m like, hey what’s up, hello!” The Stars placed 9th overall in what turned out to be the South Dakota State XC Meet Preview!
PRESCOTT HAS BREAKTHROUGH VARSITY DEBUT!
Kaleb Maynard wasn’t the only Star facing breathing struggles through this horrendous allergy season, as Lillyana Yebra also had a fight of her own. One thing that differentiates her from the previous two seasons though? This year she is running with a no-excuses attitude!! Yebra fought and fought and scratched and clawed her way through the short race, taking 60th place in 12:38. Mercy Oyadare is definitely one tough, gutsy runner in her own right, taking 65th in 12:52! The confidence of Freshman Lorena Martinez is definitely growing, as the Stars’ third finisher gutted out a great race, taking 99th overall in 13:33. Headliner Nicole Prescott had the biggest surprise of the Girls’ Varsity race, tying, yes you read that right, TYING for 100th place in 13:35, as the fourth scorer for the Stars! Taylor Kelley rolled that already painful ankle about 16 times during the race, but still powered through with a monster final kick, storming through the course in 13:41, good for 108th place. Kelli Glisar showed why she has always been a staple on the Stars XC Varsity team, taking 110th in 13:42!! Jenna Courey held on to her 7th spot on the Stars roster again, taking 132nd place in 14:16!! The ladies finished 16th overall, only one point from 15th! The ladies are definitely looking at a top 2 finish at MRAC and City!!
NHS ALL-TIME TOP 10 (5K) LIST
Volume 2, 2015
Boys
1 2010 15:36 Abbabiya Simbassa
2 2001 16:24 James Roat
3 2006 16:26 Derik Simenson
4 2015 16:26 Camden Beller*
5 2015 16:38 Gavin Bush*
6 2007 16:46 Mark Samuelson
7 2010 16:47 Daniel Poston*
8 2009 16:48 Matt Samuelson
9 2002 16:53 Eric Nelson
10 2014 17:00 Connor Coyle
Girls
1 2015 19:49 Lillyana Yebra
2 2015 20:59 Mercy Oyadare
3 2013 21:49 Paige Noble
4 2015 22:54 Lorena Martinez
5 2015 22:56 Taylor Kelley
6 2015 23:00 Chantal De Groote
7 2013 23:03 Jasmin Ruelas
8 2013 23:19 Nayelie Valenzuela
9 2015 23:20 Nicole Prescott
10 2015 23:26 Jenna Courey
Volume 2, 2015
Next Meet!!
Tim Thomas Classic
Saturday, September 12th
TEAM DINNER – Friday, September 11th 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Hosted by Lillyana Yebra and Lorena Martinez!
WHERE?? 2919 Jackson St
BUS LEAVES AT 6:30AM FROM COMMONS!!
Volume 2, 2015
Order of Events: READ CAREFULLY!!!!!!
9:35am Boys Varsity AND JV Class A
11:00am Girls Varsity AND JV Class A
11:45am Boys AND Girls Junior High
Volume 2, 2015
Awards – Individuals – Top 50 (last year = 33 medalists)
Team – Plaque to JV and Varsity Team Champions